Strike While The Iron Is Hot

Since it was best to act quickly, we finished preparations right away and set out the next day.

This time the members were me, Aira, and Nadja.

And since we were creating a new Sanctuary, Wheel-san and Catherine-san also came along.

As usual, we advanced while using Tree Barrier.

Avoiding combat along the way, we made steady progress with the help of earth dragons and camels.

By the way, what were Wheel-san and Catherine-san doing during this time…?

Zummmm!

Beside the ground we were traveling on, a mound of sand rose like a moving hill, dragging a long trail behind it.

That hill was none other than the Wheel couple.

I had wondered how they had managed to move so much faster than expected, but it turned out they were earth-element Divine Beasts, capable of slipping through the soil with no resistance.

They moved through the ground as smoothly as fish cutting through water.

Apparently, if they got serious, they could reach the destination in no time—but if they arrived ahead of us, it would definitely cause a commotion. So instead, they paced themselves to move alongside us.

With that, it seemed certain we’d arrive not today, but by tomorrow or the day after.

And sure enough, nothing significant happened along the way, and we reached our destination safely.

“Who could believe such a story!?”

“You’re trying to trick us!”

When we visited the village and explained matters to the people there, I did my best to be polite and clear, to avoid any misunderstanding.

But all they showed was reluctance.

They complained that words were easy, or insisted we would just impose heavy taxes anyway.

They continued to raise objections, grumbling endlessly.

Heh, but the body—the stomach—doesn’t lie.

How long could their stubbornness hold out, I wondered?

So I began with the fruit strategy of persuasion.

Having visited many villages already, I was well-practiced in handling these situations.

I had them try some fruit taken from my Harvest Bag.

“““U… delicioussss!!”””

“If you come to our village, you’ll be able to eat this as much as you like.”

“Please let us join your village!”

They fell into a full-force dogeza.

It was such a splendid, instant collapse.

But really, when food was dangled before a starving village, this was only natural.

“Well then, what shall I do… kukuku…”

“Please! Take us in too!”

“Give us some of that fruit as well!”

“Alright then, if you insist… come along.”

Of course, if I gave too freely, they might get arrogant, so I kept up a slightly reluctant attitude.

But in the end, I succeeded in securing new villagers.

At this pace, I’d keep going steadily.